A MAJOR incident has been declared in Somerset after severe flooding due to Storm Chandra.

Somerset Council, the Environment Agency (EA) and emergency services said they were working to support county communities following heavy rain and extensive flooding.

They warned that although the weather looks drier today (January 28), the risk of flooding on the Levels and Moors remains high as rainwater moves through the system – with the Met Office issuing a warning for heavy rain on Thursday.

“With further flood warnings expected to be issued in areas such as Moorland, the major incident has been declared as a precaution to allow resources to be shared should the response need to be stepped up,” a Somerset Council spokesperson said.

“Last night brought significant rain – water levels are continuing to rise and the weather continues to be wet across the next few days with heavy showers at times, and a further Met Office warning in place for Thursday.

“There is no opportunity at this point for ground to recover, it remains saturated.”

They said around 50 properties had been hit by flooding across Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford and West Camel, but “this could increase”.

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Council officers are visiting the areas, they added, and urged anyone whose property has been flooded to report it.

Leader of the council, Bill Revans (Lib Dem, North Petherton), said: “The decision to declare a major incident at this stage means we are well placed to respond to this ongoing situation.

“Storm Chandra brought more than 50mm of rain to parts of Somerset last night (Monday – Tuesday), on top of already saturated land, and this has caused widespread disruption.

“We know many communities have been impacted and our thoughts go to all those experiencing flooding.

“We’ve had teams working through the night and we are continuing to respond to many reports of roads which remain impassable. Please avoid travelling if you can and never attempt to drive through flood water.

“The weather forecast remains challenging so we will be working with colleagues in the emergency services to ensure we are prepared should the situation continue to deteriorate.

“Our priority is to support our most vulnerable residents and to make sure people are aware that help is available.

“We are very aware of the potential impact that this amount of rain in the upper catchment will have on those who live on the Somerset Levels and Moors and our partners in the Environment Agency are working hard to make sure that the right response is in place to minimise the impact on vulnerable homes and communities.

“Somerset Council is putting contingency plans in place to prepare to support residents should the worst happen.”

On Monday and Tuesday, council teams dealt with reports across the county, with extra resources from contactors Kier deployed, operating jetting units, clearing debris and flooded roads where possible.

A number of roads remain closed, and some schools are shut, or operating partial closures and limited hours. As a result of the problems, a number of inaccessible properties are set to miss recycling and rubbish collections.

Anyone whose collections were missed on Tuesday should bring their boxes and bag in, and re-present their recycling on their next scheduled collection day.

Crews will attempt to catch-up with rubbish collections later in the week, which could include Saturday (January 31), with the same happening for garden waste pick-ups.

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